Psych Ward: Poe Dameron

Grounded, the ace Resistance pilot decides to visit a therapist.

Poe Dameron is an adult male who present as in above average physical health, a perception confirmed by his medical records.

While the client’s reputation precedes him, this is the first time this writer has seen Dameron in a professional setting. Given his status as arguably the best pilot of the Resistance and the numerous accolades he has received over the years, this writer does admit I experienced a certain level of celebrity gazing early in session. I did, however, quickly overcome this and was able to engage with the client in a therapeutically appropriate manner.

The client has been grounded by General Organa following a largely successful mission that nonetheless resulted in the death of a colleague and the loss, to the First Order, of the target they were pursuing. This therapist expected, therefore, that the presenting issue(s) would be related to grief and loss and possibly feelings of guilt and failure.

Initially, that is where the intake began. However, as session progressed, the client became more engaged and open and disclosed that actually what he found himself most concerned with was the General’s charge that he be more than the best pilot, that he find the one thing that would make him invaluable to the Republic and the Resistance.

Poe Dameron #15 cover by Phil Noto

We explored the notion of taking on a more active leadership role, of accepting himself as not just a man giving orders, but a figure of inspiration. The client confessed he had never seen himself in this way and even now struggled to see how others might. Additionally, it was not necessarily a role he aspired to. He loves being a pilot and being known as the best; why does he need to be more than that?

Together we discussed what it meant to him to be “the best” and what it would look like to, in some ways, sacrifice that for a new role—a role that would be both more and less than being the best pilot.

Overall, the client presents as smart and insightful. Although he does have some hesitance to disclose and was resistant at moments, overall he seemed engaged in the therapeutic process and open to the possibility of it being helpful to him.

Given my age and already heavy caseload, I referred Poe Dameron to my colleagues Doctors Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta, and Doctors Robbie Thompson and Nik Virella. His first session with them is scheduled for May 17 to be followed by a second session on June 21. The data for those will be uploaded to the memory units labeled POE DAMERON #15 and POE DAMERON ANNUAL #1 respectively.

Star Wars Tim Stevens is aware his continuity must be confusing. Just imagine that after the fall of the Empire, he found the Force, renounced his previous ways, and joined the Republic to make up for his past ethically dubious choices.

Creator Commentary: Old Man Hawkeye #4

In our Creator Commentary series, we give the floor to our storytellers as they present behind-the-scenes looks at the decisions that go into every last panel and page—in their very own words. Today we celebrate the release of OLD MAN HAWKEYE #5 by taking a closer look at the previous issue of the series with writer Ethan Sacks. Read up on issue #1, issue #2, and issue #3 before diving into issue #4 right here.

Before we dive into issue #4, there’s some big news from issue #5 that just can’t wait until next month’s Creator Commentary…

Kate Bishop is alive in the Wastelands! It’s been hard to keep this under wraps until now, but bringing Kate in was part of my original pitch. She was and is an important part of the puzzle; as Clint loses his eyesight, he can’t continue on the vendetta by himself without being either ridiculously lucky or very dead. So I knew he needed help.

And Clint is not the moody introvert that Logan is, so he works better when he’s yapping away to a teammate or partner. But who? If it’s a super powered character, it would have wrestled the book away from the hero. As I mulled the options, only one made sense to me: Kate Bishop. Their relationship, as shown so well by Kelly Thompson in the recent HAWKEYE book, is the perfect combination of heart and humor for this Hope/Crosby road trip vibe.

Most importantly for me, however, is that their skill sets are so similar that they compliment each other rather than one overpowering the other. It also gave me a chance to explore how each would have handled the survivors’ guilt after all their friends died. Clint is still waiting for the big chance to take down the bad guys, figuring he has to have been left alive for a purpose. Kate has given up on changing the world, so she’s trying to help as many innocents as she can under the radar. Different philosophies of being a hero.

Same monthly price, twice the arrows! Now back to the Commentary on issue #4…

Issue #4 is probably my favorite issue to date, and part of the reason why is because I really like Abe Jenkins and I really feel sorry for him. To show this, we did a series of nine-panel pages—and the fact that [artist] Marco Checchetto hasn’t killed me for this is pretty amazing.

We wanted to show the monotony—without boring the readers—of poor Abe Jenkins’ life. He’s no longer wearing the battle armor, he works six days a week, long hours at this Doombot factory. He has no friends, he just goes home and drinks. He writes letters to Melissa (Songbird) who was the love of his life, but she never writes back. We don’t even know if he really sends any of them, but basically that’s his existence: working, drinking, barely sleeping, writing, and that’s it. Nobody talks to him; they think he’s a joke. It hopefully makes you feel a little sorry for him before Hawkeye comes into the story. Hawkeye obviously feels a little less sorry for him.

So we go through this for a series of pages, and one of the things I’m trying to do here is thread little clues in about Hawkeye’s next stops. He obviously doesn’t know where all of the Thunderbolts are, so part of this is not only trying to kill his former teammates, but just trying to find them.

In Abe’s letters to Melissa, he has an address—the Sanctuary of the Silent Sisterhood—which will come into play later.

Anyway, you don’t have to go through too many of these nine-panel pages before there’s an awesome splash of Hawkeye, bow drawn, ready to put one more notch on his list.

But unbeknownst to Hawkeye, right outside of the factory is Bullseye, who’s caught up to him. He’s got this amazing looking rifle and he’s tracking him with the laser sight, so it looks like this is going to be the world’s shortest 12 issue series, ending in issue #4.

But it turns out, because he crossed Red Skull, he has the equivalent of bounty hunters after him. Some of them are these three grandchildren of Kraven the Hunter. They call themselves the Killer Kravenoffs. They think they’re badass but they really haven’t proven themselves and unfortunately their career doesn’t last very long. But they stall him long enough that he loses sight of Hawkeye, which pisses him off—and you don’t want to piss off Bullseye. So he makes short work of them.

I didn’t want him to fire a gun because that’s kind of a cop out for Bullseye, so he has a bullet that was on the floor and he flicks it with his finger and takes one of them out.

But he gets injured. This was important because he’s too injured to pursue Hawkeye at this moment.

I love this—that the last survivor vows that he will track Bullseye down to the ends of the Earth and have his vengeance; the sort of big comic book declaration of a bad guy. Then Bullseye just stabs him through the head because he wants no part in dealing with that.

He’s no nonsense. He’s not the mustache-twirling villain. He’s somebody who—to recap from previous issues—has been bored for so long. He hasn’t had a challenge, so this is everything to him, that there’s one last hero out there that he gets to kill. Some people take up sewing or karaoke, but for him it’s killing this last hero.

So speaking of this last hero, Hawkeye is waiting for Beetle and he has this little flashback. This flashback is part of that horrific flashback that we saw in issue #2; he’s in the Quinjet, with Black Widow, going to that last fight where all their group of heroes die. Obviously they don’t know that, but Natasha asks if they can really trust the Thunderbolts because they used to be villains. Clint explains his perspective, and the last thing he says is, “I’d trust Abe and those guys with our lives.” We, obviously, find out that was not the best call.

I wanted to give the art team settings for these battles that were different from each other—fun set pieces. So in this case, this is a wrecked Kree spaceship that serves as a war memorial, so there are lots of sharp scrappy pieces and things like that.

When Abe comes, he can barely fit into this old Beetle armor. He obviously hasn’t been taking care of it and hasn’t been taking care of himself.

It’s amazing that he’s sober enough to put it on in the first place, but he couldn’t completely put it on, so just to show how unprepared he was for this, he actually has Hawkeye help him strap in. And Hawkeye is noble enough that if he’s going to kill this guy, he wants him at his full potential.

They have this slightly heartbreaking moment where Clint asks him, “Why did you do it?” And Abe says, “I did it for love,” because he knew that if he joined that last fight, he’d have been treated as a Super Hero and Melissa would have been killed. He sacrificed his principles and he helped kill some of his friends just to keep her alive. That was his motivation, and I found a little nobility in it. Of course Hawkeye didn’t—the woman he loved wasn’t quite so lucky. So that’s what actually sets off the fight.

Elsewhere, the Venoms arrive to Blindfold’s tent. Now Blindfold, being able to see the future, realizes this is going to happen. So she’d been slowly poisoning herself, timing it right so she would die right when they come. But unfortunately, she didn’t die fast enough.

She realized that the Venoms could just bond with her and take her powers by force. She wanted to take that out of play, but they were too fast, so they got a glimpse of where Clint will be in issue #5.

Joe Caramagna does the lettering, and for the Venoms, the letters are like nails down a chalkboard. It really has that horror feel. So the showdown with the Venoms is coming. But now, we still have the Clint and Abe fight to finish.

Ultimately, of course, Hawkeye triumphs and basically causes Beetle’s armor to explode. I love the way Marco drew this scene—he looks like a bug with his arms and legs pulled off. He looks like a dead bug.

Then Hawkeye examines the body and finds a letter to Melissa. Now he has an address. He doesn’t know where it is, but he has a place to go. He starts reading this letter and ends up going to one of his favorite bars because it’s kind of tough to read. He needs a drink to go through with this.

The bar is Josie’s, and it’s Turk—of Daredevil fame—who wasn’t really a villain per se. He obviously survived and has this nostalgic memory of Josie’s. So he opens up, in the middle of nowhere, this bar near Paste Pot Creek.

You can see all of these ants around Clint’s beer bottle. And that’s because Turk has a nephew, Dwight the ant-kid from “Old Man Logan”. I love that character. He was only in “Old Man Logan” for a couple panels, so I kind of wanted to create a backstory for him. He has this helmet and he’s super smart for his age, but he’s still figuring out how to fix it. So there are ants all over the bar.

The cliffhanger at the end of this book is that the Venoms, having seen Blindfold’s vision, know exactly where Hawkeye is. So they are swarming around the outskirts of the bar, and Hawkeye is oblivious.

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It's All Star Wars on Marvel's The Pull List

Published May 23, 2018
By Tucker Chet Markus

Watch the all-new video version to preview this week's Marvel Comics!

Travel to a galaxy far, far away with Marvel’s The Pull List!

On the podcast, Ryan and Tucker preview May 23’s new comic releases, including BLACK PANTHER, DOCTOR STRANGE, MOON KNIGHT, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, and all the other books that are waiting for you in stores right now!

Watch the video version above as the two dive into all the Star Wars books on offer this week, then dive into the full audio episode below.

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The History of Spider-Man: 2013

Published May 22, 2018
By Jim Beard

Peter joins a new Avengers team, only to be replaced by Doctor Octopus' Superior plan.

For over 50 years, Spider-Man has been a sensational standout in the Marvel Universe and the web-slinger is now back on the silver screen once again in Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War”! In celebration of his memorable history, we present Spidey’s spectacular step-by-step story…

Stuck in the middle of an eldritch battle between Doctor Strange and Daniel Drumm in NEW AVENGERS #32, Spider-Man made the best of it while Drumm possessed his fellow heroes in NEW AVENGERS #33 and witnessed Strange’s reinstatement as Sorcerer Supreme in NEW AVENGERS #34. Over with his other team, he waited out the original Avengers’ trip to the Microverse in AVENGERS #33, and welcomed Janet Van Dyne back to full member status in AVENGERS #34.

New Avengers (2010) #32

After the violent clash between two Hobgoblins in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #697, our hero accepted membership on a new team in AVENGERS #1 and joined Captain America and others on a terraformed Mars to confront alien invaders in AVENGERS #2.

Later, the webslinger swung out to the prison holding the dying Doctor Octopus in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #698 — or did he? Seems that Ock already switched bodies with Spidey, leaving Peter Parker adrift in Otto Octavius’ rapidly failing form. In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #699, Peter managed an escape from prison with the help of some super villains, but when he confronted Ock in his body in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700, the doctor’s body finally failed for good…with Peter’s mind in it.

Otto Octavius swore to become a better Spider-Man than Peter Parker, so in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 he took on a new Sinister Six with brutal will, not realizing Peter’s spirit still resided within him. He also created an deployed an army of “spiderbots” to help him in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #2, while Carlie Cooper became suspicious of him. Back with the Avengers, he taunted Sunspot and Cannonball in AVENGERS #6 and witnessed the “White Event” that signaled the arrival of the Starbrand on Earth in AVENGERS #7.

When the Vulture started using children to commit crimes in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #3, Otto viciously attacked him and angered Carlie further. Massacre escaped incarceration in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #4, and after Otto applied at Empire State University to complete Peter’s doctorate studies, he tracked Massacre down and shot him dead in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #5. Afterward, the Avengers concerns over his behavior increased while Peter’s spirit grew stronger within Otto in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #6.

Superior Spider-Man (2013) #7

As Spidey, Otto joined with his teammates to search for the Starbrand in AVENGERS #9, then clashed with Captain America in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #7. Cap subdued him in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #8, but when a scan showed no obvious anomalies, the hero placed Spider-Man on probation. Later, Otto used the scan data to discover Peter’s consciousness still residing in his brain and moved to purge him once and for all in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9.

Otto traveled to the Savage Land in AVENGERS #12 to investigate a new sentient species there, but when the High Evolutionary also took an interest in the young race, Spider-Man and his teammates raised an argument against it in AVENGERS #13. The Goblin King gained more strength in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #10, and Alastair Smythe enhanced several villains to kill the wallcrawler in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #11. Otto took them all on after receiving permission from Mayor Jameson in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #12 to execute Smythe, and later blackmailed Jameson to give him the Raft prison as a headquarters in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #13.

Get an exclusive first look at the covers for each series’ issue #4 below, along with editor Jordan D. White‘s take on what to expect as we uncover more in the deadly puzzle that is HUNT FOR WOLVERINE.

“Charles Soule has cooked up a fun detective story for this series, with Daredevil and his investigative team on Logan’s trail. They definitely find something interesting…but not something they’re gonna like.”

“Logan’s new Avengers pals made him a promise that now they’re being called on keep. Tom Taylor really came up with a super hero adventure with some great twists and turns—I don’t know that anyone would guess where this series would end up! But it’s a helluva ride!”

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE CLAWS OF A KILLER #4 cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Roberto Poggi, and Carlos Lopez

“Killers versus zombies—what a fun concept! No matter who wins…well, we win for getting to watch it! You can tell Mariko Tamaki is having fun torturing these guys!”

“With this series shining a spotlight on the ladies of the X-Men it probably won’t shock you to learn that it will have a huge impact on the X-Men at-large…but it will shock you what that impact is! Jim Zub is doing something I’ve been hoping for for a long time…”

This August, secrets are revealed in HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: WEAPON LOST #4, HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE ADAMANTIUM AGENDA #4, HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE CLAWS OF A KILLER #4, and HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR #4!

Saladin Ahmed Shares a Preview of MS. MARVEL #31

Published May 22, 2018
By Jamie Frevele

Ahmed shared some process art from Kamala Khan's 50th issue!

Writer Saladin Ahmed is ready to get you excited for MS. MARVEL #31! This marks the 50th issue featuring Kamala Khan as the stretchy Super Hero, and this jam issue will be written by Ahmed, G. Willow Wilson, Rainbow Rowell, and more. That roster of writers will be joined by a pack of excellent artists including Nico Leon and Gustavo Duarte, plus a great cover by Valerio Schiti and a variant cover by Stephanie Hans!

MS. MARVEL #31, which will hit stores on June 27th, is just as big as its gang of creators and will feature a slumber party for the ages — Kamala will host a sleepover with her best friends Nakia, Zoe, and Mike. But the party is rudely interrupted when calamity strikes Jersey City. Can Kamala save the day and keep her party going at the same time? You’ll have to get the issue to find out, but in the meantime, Ahmed shared previews of some of Duarte’s artwork on Twitter! You’ll find even more familiar face, including your favorite teleporting pooch Lockjaw!

Did I mention I got the opportunity to Ms. Marvel? Did I also mention it was written by @rainbowrowell ? I didn’t? Well now I did. Get ready for pizza, slumber parties, and super powers!! 50 issues of Kamala! pic.twitter.com/2FIbt83THY

LUCKY ME: @RobotJQ & I have a scene in the June — slumber party! — issue of Ms. Marvel. Kamala orders pizza, and THIS YOUNG LADY starts some trouble. Check it out in Ms. Marvel No. 31, celebrating 50 issues of Kamala Khan! pic.twitter.com/QCOp3sRCl6

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The Five Craziest Deadpool Comics

Published May 18, 2018
By Jenn Fujikawa

Need more Wade Wilson in your life? Look no further!

Can’t get enough of the Merc with a Mouth? With his superhuman healing ability, Deadpool’s physical attributes have naturally been enhanced but so has his gift of gab. This is one loquacious, fast-talking fella. Oh and he’s deadly—like, deliriously blood-thirsty, in a charming but extremely terrifying sort of way.

Grab your chimichangas and check out some essential reads that highlight the best of the fourth-wall-breaking, spirited anti-hero.

Deadpool (2012) #15

This fan favorite series has the merc doing everything from fighting zombie presidents to going to North Korea to teaming up with Wolverine and Captain America. This book deep dives into Wade’s psyche and makes you have all the feels while still laughing at his antics. Now that’s the kind of destructive emotional roller coaster ride that only Deadpool can give.

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (2011) #1

Just as the title says, this is Deadpool’s attack on his maker. This twisted horror comic isn’t for everyone, but if you love Wade’s sadistic sense of humor more than the average Deadpool fan, this is the comic for you. Deadpool goes around attacking every hero and villain while being under the mind control of Psycho Man.

YOU ARE DEADPOOL (2018)
Al Ewing, Salva Espin, Paco Diaz

You Are Deadpool (2018) #1

The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure of Deadpool stories, RPGers will love reading You Are Deadpool, a book that gets you involved in the story. Readers will have to roll dice, make decisions that alter the outcome, and have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Deadpool in a new role doing what he does best: killing people. DESPICABLE DEADPOOL hit a finale milestone this month with issue #300, and it’s a doozy. Deadpool will face off with the biggest villains and heroes in the Marvel Universe until he realizes he’s having an internal crisis and the problem is actually himself. It all ends in a mind wipe, but that’s just the set up for a brand new Deadpool comic. You can’t ever really kill the Regenerating Degenerate.

Can’t get enough Wade Wilson and want to read all these digital comics? Check out Marvel Unlimited!

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Get To Know Neena Thurman AKA Domino With These 5 Lucky Reads

Will The Odds Be In Your Favor? Read On To Find Out!

Sure, you could say Deadpool is having a huge summer. Don’t underestimate Neena Thurman, and don’t think of her as only Deadpool’s teammate.

Imagine being able to control your fate, just by participating in the cause and effect of a situation. That’s the life of X-Force’s own Domino. The psionic mutant flips the odds in her favor with telekinesis resulting in good luck for her, bad luck for her foes. Not a bad ability to have in tough situations.

While her real name is Neena Thurman, here she goes as Beatrice, seeing as how her existence is the result of a government breeding program called Project: Armageddon that used the precognitive mutant named Beatrice. The name Beatrice is an offshoot of the Latin “beatus” which means fortunate, and that is an apt description of Domino’s powers.

Read up on the what makes Lady Luck’s fate always err on the side of good fortune.

THE NEW MUTANTS#98 (1991)
Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza

New Mutants (1983) #98

Just like her ol’ pal Wade Wilson, Domino’s first appearance was in THE NEW MUTANTS back in 1991. Or was it? Turns out she was actually a shape-shifter named Copycat but for the sake of argument, this is the first time readers get a glimpse of fortuitous mutant.

X-Force (2008) #1

Cyclops calls upon Wolverine to lead a team called X-Force, made up of X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Archangel and Domino. This violent alternative X-Men team goes up against the Marauders, pitting villains and heroes in a battle of epic proportions.

X-Force: Sex and Violence (2010) #1

A team-up for the ages, Domino and Wolverine head out against all odds when the Assassins Guild puts out a hit on Neena. The title says it all–this book is filled with a lot of both. When you think about it, they’re a perfect match–Domino’s good fortune, Wolverine’s healing factor. Add in a whole lot of bloodshed and you’ve got a dynamic duo.

DOMINO (2018)
Gail Simone, David Baldeon

Domino (2018) #1

Not only is Domino back in featured in her own solo series, but she’s also solo in the sense that now she finds herself on the wrong side of the mercenary community and having to fight for her life. This series explores a stripped down version of Domino, but will her legendary luck see her through?

Can’t get enough Domino and want to read all these digital comics? Check out Marvel Unlimited!

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The Greatest Deadpool Team-Ups in History

Published May 17, 2018
By Amanda Ames

From Domino to Wolverine, these are Wade Wilson's finest duos!

In celebration of Deadpool’s big summer, which sees him kick off a new series with Skottie Young and Nic Klein’s DEADPOOL #1 on June 6, we thought we’d look back at the rare moments when Wade Wilson wasn’t being an unshowered good-for-nothing selfish jerk. Instead, we found a few favorite moments when he was just being an unshowered good-for-nothing only slightly selfish jerk.

Starting off small, we have adolescent Bullseye, who teamed up with Deadpool in a rebellion against academia. In the pages of Daniel Way and Paco Medina’s DEADPOOL, a young, downtrodden Bullseye was being bullied at school. But don’t worry, weirdo pimple-faced nerds! Cousin DP came to the rescue by just straight up burning down the entire building.

This whole event may have been a hallucination, but with Deadpool you never know. What we do know is that these two eventual frenemies delightfully took things way too far in this (potential) first ever team-up. Arson rules! *

Wolverine/Old Man Logan

These two just can’t seem to get away from each other. Or at least Wolverine can’t get away from Deadpool.

Much like any relationship founded in love (of stabbing bad guys) and understanding (their boiling, uncontrollable rage), these two crazy kids have endured a lot together: multiple murder attempts, poorly thought-out heroics, and the 1990s. But, as perfectly exemplified in DEADPOOL VS. OLD MAN LOGAN, they continue to grin and bear it (Deadpool grins and Wolverine bears it).

Official ‘ship name: Poolverine. Don’t look up the “fan art.”

Hellcow

Once a prized dairy cow named Bessie, Hellcow’s idyllic life was cut short—sort of—when a bite from Dracula himself turned her into an undead blood sucking bovine. Roughly 300 years later, in DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #885, Hellcow was serving as the captive mutant milk machine for Dr. Killgore, a mad scientist who was also holding the Regenerating Degenerate under lock and key.

After Deadpool convinced Hellcow to band together for a daring escape, the duo endured a range of bodily function mishaps before succeeding in taking down Killgore. They’re not saying “Moo,” they’re saying “Bruuuce!”

Domino

Just like a group of old men sitting around a folding table, Deadpool loves dominoes. And one in particular.

A hired gun herself, Neena Thurman knows all about the #MercLife, not to mention the #MutatedExperimentLife. And after a rocky introduction in Deadpool’s debut comic NEW MUTANTS #98, Domino has grown to understand Wade more than most. It’s likely for this reason that she usually treats him like an adult. She gets it—jokes hide the pain, people!

Her ability to call Deadpool out on any shenanigans he pulls makes her a great foil for the old ‘Pool Man. And, at times, she adds a little family-approved flirtation to Deadpool’s traditionally risqué banter.

Bob, Agent of Hydra

Bob wanted to live a normal existence—eat chips, mow the lawn, watch TV with his wife. And what did his wife want? Dental insurance. So Bob got himself an average nine-to-five working at the local criminal organization, Hydra.

Deadpool wanted a friend—someone to boss around, blame the voices on, eat chips with. And what did his friends want? Um…what friends? Wade Wilson has never had any friends, so he went looking for a buddy to team-up with during his anti-heroic adventures.

Bob and Deadpool got together in CABLE AND DEADPOOL #38 and, ever since, have done everything that best friends do. They’ve gotten scurvy, time traveled with dinosaurs, been severely injured, battled Dracula, and eaten chips. Chips rule! And also arson rules too! **

Spider-Man

This one-sided bromance is what comic book dreams are made of.

Sure, Peter Parker might be a morally upstanding super hero, and sure, Deadpool generally doesn’t care about which civilian the Hulk accidentally sits on. But what matters here is the beautifully juxtaposed powers and sensibilities that these two bring to the table. And though they’ve had their ups and downs, these resident jokesters have developed a vaguely mutual respect for one another over the years. And that relationship is perfectly displayed in their ongoing joint series SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL. The third star of the book? That gorgeous forward slash.

Cable

Of course, the top spot on this ultimate team-up list goes to none other than Cable.

Nathan Summers’ explosive relationship with Deadpool has been the basis for many, many, many, many series over the years. Whether the two are allies or actively trying to kill each other is more or less a 50/50 toss-up, but regardless, the chemistry between these two can’t be denied. Cable’s time traveling stoicism perfectly compliments Deadpool’s gross face, and it all adds up to the best buddy cop throwdown anybody could ask for. If you love bulging old man pecs and giant belts, this team-up is for you.

* Editor’s note: arson does not rule** Editor’s note: arson still does not rule

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Kelly Thompson Announces the New West Coast Avengers

Published May 17, 2018
By Jamie Frevele

Hawkeye is getting the band back together -- but who's on the team this time?

Kelly Thompson—writer of HAWKEYE, ROGUE & GAMBIT, CAPTAIN PHASMA, and more—is getting ready to reassemble a Marvel team from decades past! This week, we’re excited to announce WEST COAST AVENGERS, written by Thompson with art by Stefano Caselli! The ’80s book is back for an ongoing series run with another super group of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and this time it has not one but two Hawkeyes!

The original West Coast Avengers was started by Clint Barton’s Hawkeye. This time around, Clint is joined by the current Hawkeye Kate Bishop and a few of their super powered friends! We talked with Kelly Thompson about what we can expect from the new WEST COAST AVENGERS and she had a lot to say about this wacky, disparate group finding a common thread:

“They all need and want something from being on that team together. Kate needs to help save LA, and she needs help to do that because villains have taken notice that there are no Super Heroes out there. I think there’s part of her that misses [being on a team] too. She’s been doing her own thing, on her own, and that’s cool. But she was the one, who, with no powers, was like ‘I’m leading the Young Avengers, I’m the boss.’”

As far as the original Hawkeye goes, Thompson says Clint is “trying to help Kate” but “doesn’t want to admit how much it’s fun for him to mentor.”

Other characters joining the West Coast fun are Gwenpool, whom Thompson describes as “a really weird X-factor” who will be going through some “really interesting” relationship developments; Quentin Quire, who is “always trouble,” but “clearly wants a family”; and Kate’s boyfriend Johnny, who is in “way over his head,” a situation that Thompson is very eager to explore.

But with every super group is a wild card, and according to Thompson, that wild card is America Chavez:

“I think America is the biggest question mark, and I think that’s something we’re excited to explore: Why does she come back to LA? Why does she come back to be with Kate? Does she miss [the group dynamic] too? Because America, she likes to play things a little close to the vest.”

Like the original West Coast Avengers, the team will be living together—but it’s not quite the same Tony Stark-funded flat that we saw in the ‘80s. Instead, to get funding, the team will be part of a reality show while living together under the same roof.

Will things stop being polite and start getting real? The new, ongoing series starts when WEST COAST AVENGERS #1 hits stores on Wednesday, August 22 so you can find out then! Make sure to visit your local comic book store and pre-order today!

Check out the full description of the first issue:

HAWKEYE (KATE BISHOP). HAWKEYE (CLINT BARTON). A guy named FUSE. Never have they ever been called “the big three” of…anything. And now here they are, reunited for, okay, well, it’s only the second time ever. Thank god they also brought AMERICA CHAVEZ, GWENPOOL and KID OMEGA. Wait. What? That’s right, it’s the new West Coast Avengers, son. And you better hope they can figure out how to save the world because BIG things are headed for the West Coast.